Brake pipe toolage

[Dave_Q]

Easy now me breadbins.

 

My Berlingo has failed MOT on a length of brake pipe.

 

This is a fantastic excuse to buy new tools to fix it.

 

According to Citroen, the pipes are 4.75mm diameter. Am I right in thinking this is just a French way of saying 3/16in?

 

How widely used is this size on other cars?

 

Is a cheap multi size set like this going to be as shit as the price would suggest?

 

I don't mind splashing out a bit more on something better looking like this provided it's not some odd size that I'll never use in the future.

 

Thanks in advance.

[twosmoke300]

The cheapy ones are ok for copper but struggle on kunifer and wont do steel which is a pain for splicing in situ.

I got a brilliant one for 50 quid . I will put the make up tomorrow

 

Edit , the 2nd link looks exactly the same as what I have and use nearly every day.

[plasticvandan]

Get a vice mounted one,best thing I ever bought,I've sold it since,naturally,but would get another

[twosmoke300]

The old sykes bench ones are great but the smaller ones allow you to join pipes in situ .

[Junkman]

There are only two diameters of brake piping - the bigger and the smaller one, i.e. 6mm or 4.75mm respectively.

You are perfectly safe with bog standard 3/16th.

[Albert Ross]

The diameter is similar... BUT. The ends are differently profiled. Imperial are tapered, metric are square shouldered. (At least I think that's the right way round) The moulding blocks show this. Go for a Sykes Pickavant one.  It's not safe to profile the ends wrong. Trust me on this one. http://sykes-pickavant.com/products/braking-tools/pipe-flaring-tools/554

[Dave_Q]

Cheers people.

 

RE: the tapers SAE vs DIN, I'm planning on chopping off the line at the rusty bit, putting a joiner in in situ and replacing up to and including the union at the brake compensator.

 

Will it matter which sort of flare I put on if I can get an imperial union in the right size for the end bit?

[Albert Ross]

Don't do that. It's half arsed, and you won't compress the steel pipe correctly on the car. Replace the complete pipe as 1. Otherwise you risk a weeping pipe joint, which will fail test. I have seen this done many a time, and all it meant was extra time re-doing it, and paying for the full retest.... Also, Imperial Unions won't screw into ANYTHING Citroen made in the last 40 years at least.... (Dunno about Slough built stuff)

[brickwall]

Splicing pipes is only an emergency measure. Just replace the whole run - it wont cost more and you know where you stand.

[darkfour]

When i replaced the entire brakes lines on my 67 Dart I used steel lines (copper is frowned upon over here) and had great success bending and shaping it with these tools. I assume you can get similar in the UK. I'd also recommend getting a replacement die for whatever size you end up using as it's easy to snap the center part out. 

 

[derskine]

Ive got a cheapo one and just use copper. I've no issue with it, its much easier to bend and form too.

[Bren]

I bought a sealey set - I needed it to put a flare on my SD1's rear o/s feed as I could'nt remove the union from the cylinder and had to cut through the pipe.

 

It did the job and I didnt have to remove the pipe from the car - it was done in situ.

[Station]

I never look forward to using my £10 ones, I've managed to get about 70% success rate on not have them leaking when I reassemble it. It HURTS doing that clamp up though.

I have to change the entire braking system on the Mitsubishi so today I bought these:

 

 

 

 

 

I already have brake union spanners, which are vital for not rounding off those bleed nipples.

[drum]

I recommend this Sykes job. I don't recommend this messy work bench.

[Dave_Q]

Right, so I now have an understanding of different flares from this sheet - http://www.fedhillusa.com/webnuts/common%20flares6.pdf

 

My chod preferences are mainly continental so I need this version of the tool from my first post.

 

Thanks all for the advice, I never would have known there were different flares, and I suppose many people don't.

[Station]

You only ever need one flare for brake pipes. Clutch pipes are slightly thicker.

[brickwall]

Mine are  DIN style too, on the current machine. It was very hard with a cheapo.

[sierraman]

Call me a pessimist but I wouldn't fuck about making the pipes, I had most of the brake pipes replaced on the fiesta £60 all in. The tools must cost more than that!

[Dave_Q]

Garage that did the test have quoted me £160 to do the work.

 

I can get the pipes in question from Citroen for about £20 each but I've had poor service from the local dealer in the past.

 

Would rather spend a few quid more and get tools + enough pipe to last several years.

[fordperv]

Call me a pessimist but I wouldn't fuck about making the pipes, I had most of the brake pipes replaced on the fiesta £60 all in. The tools must cost more than that!

Give a man brake pipes, his shite can have that one set, give a man a brake pipe flarer, he can make them for a lifetime of shite.

[dieselassist]

The cheapy ones are ok for copper but struggle on kunifer and wont do steel which is a pain for splicing in situ.

I got a brilliant one for 50 quid . I will put the make up tomorrow

 

Edit , the 2nd link looks exactly the same as what I have and use nearly every day.

 

...if your badly stuck for a join or whatever, n are stuck with ineffective/shite brake flaring tool, a handy trick is to heat up the end with one of those flamethrower style soldering irons, or  on a camping gas stove - wear gloves n all that; also brake fluid is hugely flammable...

I hate making up brake lines; its a black art...I always seem to make the line either far too short or too long

 

 ...I have to make up a clutch hydraulic line soon; well join the line from master cyl. to slave - it was pissing rain taking it off the scrapper n I snipped the wrong one - B3 VW Pass'art - anyone know what size they are usually?? seems like its a bigger diameter to a usual brake line... sorry to thread jack etc

[ruffgeezer]

If you are local and get stuck I think I have a big bertha flaring kit in the garage you can borrow.

[Dave_Q]

I'm sure you're all SUPER excited to hear how this went.

 

I bought this flaring tool and this pipe cutter.

 

The flaring tool is highly recommended, worked perfect first time.

 

Of course it wasn't as straightforward as all that, couldn't shift one of the rear bleed nipples so had to get a rear cylinder today.

 

Went to fit that and had to cut the line to get it off, and of course I don't have the right size union for the cylinder so will have to try again tomorrow.

 

Wednesday is my last day for free retest.

 

The fun.